Emirates Stadium, 8th April 2025 – Declan Rice emerged as the hero, leading Arsenal to a stunning 3-0 victory over Real Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League quarterfinal.

Rice scored two exquisite free-kicks, and Mikel Merino added a third to give Arsenal a huge advantage ahead of next week’s return leg at the Santiago Bernabéu.

After a first half that ended goalless, Arsenal came to life in the second half. Rice broke the deadlock in the 58th minute with a free-kick from 31.9 yards, curling the ball past Thibaut Courtois and into the net.

Just minutes later, Rice delivered a second magical free-kick, this time from an even further distance, finding the top corner to put the Gunners 2-0 up. Remarkably, both goals were Rice’s first-ever direct free-kicks, leaving even Roberto Carlos in awe.

Real Madrid had their chances, with Kylian Mbappé missing two golden opportunities, but they were unable to break through Arsenal’s defense. Courtois kept Madrid in the game with several key saves, but the visitors were unable to stop the Gunners’ second-half onslaught.

The win has put Arsenal in a strong position to reach their first Champions League semifinal since 2009, while Real Madrid must now mount a historic comeback in Madrid to keep their hopes of retaining the title alive.